Stroggos Campaign
The term "Stroggos Campaign" refers to the massive human military action against Stroggos, the homeworld of the Strogg, after they had invaded the Solar system and assaulted several human colonies, including Mars and Earth. Battle at the Gateways Before the Stroggos Campaign could begin, Coalition space forces had to stage an assault against a Strogg fleet guarding the black hole-like inter-planetary gateways on the edge of the Solar system. These portals through space led directly into the Stroggos system, and were used by the Strogg extensively during their invasions. The details of this battle are not known, but it seems justified to assume the Strogg made a strong effort to defend these sites given their strategic value. Nevertheless, human forces emerged victorious in the end, and the gateways were secured. Operation Alien Overlord As Earth received word that the gateways had been cleared, a massive counterattack operation against the Strogg titled Operation Alien Overlord was put in motion. Intelligence data on Stroggos indicated that direct orbital assault was made impossible by a heavy planetary defense platform code-named the Big Gun; any vessels larger than a few meters would not be able to penetrate these defenses. This led to the decision of sending a concentrated advance group of space marines to assault the Strogg capital city of Cerberon directly. Their mission objectives included the destruction of the Big Gun facility, as well as the assassination of the Makron, the Strogg leader. To this end, a fleet of troop carrier starships were assembled, led by Flag Admiral Crockett on board the flagship Phobos. In a matter of days, perhaps even in the space of a single day, a massive fighting force of space marines were gathered on Earth, loaded into Mark 9A Drop Pods designed specifically for the task, and loaded into the troop carriers for transport. The transit from Earth to Stroggos took less than six and a half hours. It may be that this haste in preparation was what caused the deaths of so many marines during the opening stages of the invasion. Earth military planners had failed to anticipate the presence of EMP defences on Stroggos, which caused the vast majority of the marine drop pods to be disabled in flight as they entered the atmosphere of Stroggos. 80% of the fighting force was lost in this way before the invasion had even properly started. Of the twenty percent that remained, two thirds were killed soon after in action in the disarray by Strogg ground forces. Only a handful were able to regroup and assault Cerberon, as was originally planned. Arrival of the Fleet Upon arrival, the Earth fleet attacking Stroggos was stranded in orbit due to a Strogg device called the "Gravity Well". Subsequent battles on Stroggos thumb|340px|The main Coalition fleet arrives on Stroggos. Immediately following Bitterman's successful mission to bring down the Strogg defenses and defeat their leader, The Makron, the Strogg are regrouping and constructing a new and more powerful Makron. The Coalition invasion force is massive and the Strogg defense is substantial. After an epic battle, and thanks to the work of Rhino Squad, the fleet is finally able to secure an LZ for the massive command ship, USS Hannibal. After regrouping, Matthew Kane was sent again with Rhino Squad on a dangerous mission into the heart of the Strogg base. During a deadly firefight, he was captured and taken to their "Stroggification" facilities. In a horrific and gruesome procedure, his body was cut and fused with metal, wires, and circuitry. As the transformation was about to be completed with the activation of the neurocyte brain implant, he was freed by a squad of fellow marines and returned to base. Operation Last Hope Though Kane was not "connected" to the Strogg collective, the other modifications to his body allowed him to manipulate and interface with the Strogg world in ways that no human has ever been able to before. Realizing this new advantage, the Marines mounted a massive offensive to shut down "The Nexus" (the Strogg collective), and Kane was the key to accessing these previously impenetrable defenses and locations. Matthew Kane and his squad mates disabled the Strogg defensive systems, brought the Nexus offline, and ultimately destroyed The Makron. Aftermath Though it hasn't been confirmed by id, the humankind has probably been victorious of this war, because the Quake III characters Wayland and Nathan Grunt are described as veterans of the Stroggos Campaign, said as a "long-concluded war" and "a war that ended long ago". However, both veterans are depicted as haunted by the war and mentally shattered ; this incredibly brutal conflict has probably had heavy repercussions on the marines coming back home. Category:History